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Is there a bit of a whiff from your bin? Do you notice an odour from a neighbour’s bin? To judge by social media posts, some Blackmore Vale Magazine readers wonder whether they need the services of professional bin cleaning companies.

Offering contracts that sometimes cost quite a bit over time, these firms often advertise with unpleasant images that can only come from homes with poor recycling, which need to take more care of their rubbish.

Luckily, Somerset Waste Partnership knows a thing or two about bins, and can now offer a one-off clean bin solution for pennies, and an ongoing care package that can cost even less.

Bin cleaning is simple, requiring hot water, washing up liquid, a broom and that vital ingredient, elbow grease. It can be followed by careful application of a quantity of an environmentally-friendly disinfectant, white vinegar.

People with a steam cleaner or pressure washer may well find them a helpful extra tool to refresh a rubbish bin, with or without cleaning liquids. Not got one? Worth asking around among neighbours to see if there is one to borrow.

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Keeping a bin tidy just needs a simple routine. Never put food in your bin, not a scrap; bag everything and carefully double bag anything unpleasant, from nappies to pet waste; keep the lid closed; and if possible, keep it in the shade.

A similar routine will work well for your food waste container, with compostable bin liners or newspaper to contain the food, and an occasional rinse and wipe over with washing liquid and vinegar.

For more advice visit Somerset Waste Partnership’s website www.somersetwaste.gov.uk which has information on how to use shopping lists, portion control and storage to reduce your waste food. Got a garden? Check the tips on composting all you can, including certain foods.

PS: If your nose notices next door’s bin this summer, try popping this article through their letter box in the hope they take the hint.

Nick Cater is Senior Communications Officer at Somerset Waste Partnership, which manages waste and recycling services on behalf of all local authorities in Somerset.